Traveling rotary vat strainer



Dec. 18, 1956 A. E. NEssLER ETAI- TRAVELING ROTARY VAT STRAINER 5Sheets-Sheet l Filed 0G12. l2, 1954 mw EHSNN o, una kalba" @Til l RP* w,mw

@l @HMM @w o @N Nm., Nm. 1 N v! Dec. 18, 1956v A. E. NESSLER ET ALTRAVELING ROTARY VAT STRAINER 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. l2, 1954 A. E.NESSLER ET AL TRAVELVING ROTARY VAT STRAINER 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Dec. 18,1956 Filed oct. 12, 1954 Dec. 18, 1956 A. E. NEssLER ET AL 2,774,140

TRAVELING ROTARY VAT STRAINER Filed OC'C. l2. 1954 5 Sheets-SheeI 4 Dec.18, 1956 A. E. NEssLER ETAL 2,774,140

TRAVELING ROTARY VAT STRAINER Filed Oct. l2, 1954 5 Sheets-Sheet 5JMMYMM@ United States Patent TRAVELING RDTARY VATSTRAINER Aldo E.Nessler, Evanston, and JosephG. Hartman, Wilmetteylll., assignors toKraft Foods Company, Chicago, llll., a corporation of DelawareApplication October 12, 1954, Serial No. 461,724 13 Ciaims. (Cl.31--48`) The present invention relates generally to an apparatus whichis useful in the manufacture of cheese and, more particularly, relatesyto apparatus Which is adapted lfor use in draining free whey fromcurd'in a wchee'sjemalcng process wherein the curd is maintained inasubstantially granular condition. Typical of the processesiniwhichgapparatus of this type is useful are Ithe stirredcurd cheddarprocess, the washed curd process, and othersimilar processes in whichthe Wheyis drained from the curd'while the curd is maintained in theform of granulesor discrete particles by mechanical agitation.

The manufacture of cheese by the `traditional stirred curd cheddarprocedure and like -processes is rather Y'inecientrand involves a greatdeal of manual labor. Y-In the conventional stirred curd procedure vthecurd is Vmade in -a cheesemaking vat and cooked or heated to providethe-desired acidityand firmness inthecurd. This making procedure involvesfilling the vat with milk which is at the proper ripening temperature,adding a/,starter or culture of bacteria to the milk-to developthe-properacidity, setting themilk with rennet to form -a curd, cuttingthecurd into small cubes, e. g.,fromrapproximately -aquarter-to -ahalfinch on an edge, an'd cookingthe curd in whey `at -temperatures of -fromabout 1GO to 106 lF.to secure'the-desired firmness and othercharacteristics. During Vthe cookingjin-whey the curd iscontinuouslyagitated'byrneans:of travelling Vmechanical agitators `sothat the heating of the .batch is uniform.

After ythe cheesemaker has determined that the curd iis properly cooked,the whey is 'drained from-aroundithe curd vin the making Yvat-awhile the.curd is being-continuouslystirred by the samernechanicalagitatingequipment which is used `tonstirrthe .batch during. `the makingprocess. These agitatorstravel up and down afvatand agitate the curdperiodically a sufficient Vamounttokeep it from matting. The conditionofthe curdatithe stage when the whey is drained oi is such thatititendszto hold whey/and resist drainage so that the .masslofcui-dieven vwith` agitation -does not v drain rapidly. 'In Iorder'tofaciiitatedrainage, the curd lin the vat Ais .ditched, fi. .-e.,:trenches or ditches are dug .along the sides orldownthe center o fthefvat ito facilitate Wheydrainage. Iniaddition, certain portions ofthe lcurd iin Vthe cornersiofthe vat and along the center of the'vatiareforkedbyhandt'o promote drainagerof the free whey.

After the curd -has been properly.drained,.usual1y2after Ya stirring-period of 'approximately-20. to .407;rninutes, and

inwhich it is kto be formed. After the curd is in .the

hoops it is pressed overnight and then cured to produce either standardparati-ined cheese or a rindless cheese.

l As may be seen, the conventional manner and apparatus =used=inmakingstirred curd cheese are extremely Vineicient since .the drainage is poor(the whey from the upper end of the vat must run the whole length of thevat toreach the outletof the vat, often a distance of 2O feet ormore),thereis a'large amount of'hand'laborvin :forkingthecurd and in .makingthe draining ditches, -as Well as the diiculties involved in removingthe curd from the vat. dvioreover,4 the making vat is employed instirring the curd over a prolonged period of time, which period canoften -befused toibetter advantage in preparing a second batch of curdfrom milk.

Attempts vhave been to mechanize the stirred curdoperation and toYthisqend drain tables yhave .been provided for separating the free wheyfrom the curd. VVA. drainttable comprises fa lshallow `container orvatwhch has a perforated area in the bottom thereof through which-'the.whey may .drain The drain table is ,provided with a standardcheese-vat-type agitator to agitate the curd .-so as -to minimizematting or knitting. In use, the curd and Wheyfrom the making :vat ispumped into the drain -table andthe process is Vcarried out Vin thedrain table jin much the ,same manner that itis carried out in themakingvat. Howeyerfthedrain table eliminatesthe need -for digging ditchesinthe c urd and alsofrees Athe Cheese vat for use y.irrrnaking furtherbatches of curd.

The drain tables which have been provided vhave ,not beenentirelysatisfactoryin-jthat a great dealof -manual laboris stillrequired and -the drainage on Vthe Itablejs `oftenslwv*and ineticient.VFor example, it V'is still-necessary to unload't-he curd-manuallyandto-scrapeit intopiles that can be shovelled *pinto the hoops ortransferred to -somegother'piece of -apparatusfor pressing orfurtherdrying. Also, the 4perforatedareas ofthe known 'drain-*tables .tendtozbecome clogged with curd and the drainage must ybe carefully watchedandclogged openings cleared .when necessary. Further, the design vof`the known perforated drainingsections for draintables have resulted inabrasion of the curd as it has been carried across the perforatedsection vwith :a resultant production of cheese dust and lossof'cu-rd inthe whey.

The, known-drain -table .constructions are completely in# adequaterwhena large batch o f curd-ias, for-example, va .batch of curdmade fromabout '20,000 to 25,000 pounds of milk, is to be treated. The agitatorAdesign ofthe-,type `used in making cheese in a cheese vatis notadequate :to fhandlethelarge batch. Further,withthe,largefbatch itris':essentialtodischarge the curd rapidlyffrom the draintable lbefore ithas a chancel to `vmat or knit together. and thisis impossible withVtables of the Yknown designs because ythe unloading iscarried'out bymanual means.

Accordingly, it is the principal object of this invention to .provide adrain table structure which overcomes fthe vde ciencies of the prior artdevices. A more specificobject of this .invention is'the provision .oanefficient draining apparatus which may .be -adapted `to the Yhandling rof Ilargebatehes Vof cheese. Other objects o f Vour invention are theprovision of a drain table of the class described 4which :includesmechanical unloading means for the curd, .which includes improveddraining means,'an d Vwhich n- .;clpdes ,an agitator mechanism ofimproved design.

Other objects vof .the invention will .become .known from referenceatothe following description and the .appended drawings. i

In .the drawings:

Eigure 1is a` plan Vview of a ,draintable embodying .various features ofthe mvention;

Figur-e2 is a side elevational Vview of lthe drain table illustratedinFig. 1;

. V Figure 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3--3 in Fig. l;

"Figlure 4 is a sectional view taken along line 4-4 in Fig. e l

Y Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentaryview Vtaken along line 5-5 in Fig.l; e l e Figure 6 is a perspective view partially in section of thedrain scraper which constitutes a part of the apparatus shown in Figs.4-and 5;

Figure 7 isan enlarged elevational view of the curd outlet or dischargeopening and the closure thereforwhich constitutes'apart ofthe apparatusillustrated inthe preceding'd'rawings; f

Figure 8 is a sectionalviewVtakenalongline in` Y A Figure 9 .isVa'sectional view takenalong line 9-9 in Fig. 8; Y f

1 Figure 10 is an enlarged viewshowing .the details of the drainingmeans employed in the Vapparatus illustrated inthepreceding iigures;

Figure ll' is a sectionalvi'ew taken along line'lI-ll in Fi g.10; and

' Figure 12 is a sectional view taken along line 12-12 in Fig; 10.

, In general, the-embodiment of the apparatus illustrated inthe drawingsincludes a table ortrayY 13 which isprovided with sidewalls 15 to definea container or 'shallow vat which canfreceive the curd and whey from acheesetable 13 is'provided with a relatively large discharge open-Y ingor' curd outlet19 through which the drained curd may be discharged. VThe table 13 is supported in a horizontally disposed'position upon asuitable frame( 21 of fabricated construction. Agitating means 273 areprovided for stirring-and agitating the curd on the table 13 and powermeans'23. back and forth along the table 13 to insure that-the curd inall areas of the table is thoroughly agitated. In the illustratedembodiment-of the apparatus, the power Operated means 25 for moving theagitating means Y23 back and -forth along the table is separate fromVthe means which is' provided to rotate the agitators.

As shown inthe drawings, the agitating means 23` is supported forreciprocating movement on a carriageV or bridge structure 27 which isVsupported upon the lmain frame 21 which supports the drain table. Thecarriage 27 is constructed to extend around the table 13 to insurerigidity inthe structure. The carriage 2,7 also is provided with ascraper means 29 which may be'moved into proximity with the bottom 31 ofthe table 13 and reciprocated therealong to etfectfautomatic-mechanicaldischarge of the curd which is being treated on the table 13.V With'thisarrangement'the power means for reciprocating the carriage 27 may beemployed for discharging the curd mechanically.

Now more speciiically'describing the illustrated embodiment of theinvention, the table or tray 13 for receiving the curd is elongated` andincludes a bottom-31 which slopes gradually downwardly to a centraltrough 33 (Figs.

S'and 4) ywhich constitutes a part of the draining means Y operatedmeans 25 are provided for moving Ythe agitating rality of slotted screenmembers 41 which are arranged to prevent the passage of curd into thetrough 33. Each of the screen members 41 includes a series of supportlegs 43 on which are carried a pair of longitudinally extending bars 44whichsupport a plate 45 which is provided with a series of slots orapertures 47. The plate 45 is proportioned so as to substantiallylill-the entire cross sectional area'of the trough 33 (Fig. 9) and thesupport legs 43V are so proportioned that the upper surface of the plate45 lies at the surface of the bottom 31 of the table 13 (Fig. 9) so toeliminate projections which would result in the breaking up of curd asit is agitated and moved across the bottom 31 and plate 45.

YThe apertures'47 in the plate 45 are in the lform of slits which are sofabricated that they are wider at the bottom of the plate than at thetop as shown at 49 (Figsg 9. to 11).V This insures that any curdparticles which might become lodged in the apertures will fall throughwithout clogging the plate 45.V This construction makes it extremelyeasy to clean theV plates and it minimizes clogging.Y Further, thearrangement of the apertures;

47 transversally of the longitudinal axis of the drain table minimizesabrasion ofthe curd as it is carried 'across the slots or apertures 47.The free wheywhich drains Ythrough the apertures into the trough 33 owsto one Vend of the trough V33 and isdrained through an outlet pipe 51which is provided'with a suitable outlet valve 53.. Y

VVVIt has been pointed out that one end of the table 13Y is providedwith theY outlet 19 through which the 'curd may be mechanicallydischarged. As illustrated in Figs. Y

1 andl and particularly Fig. 7, the outlet 19 extends .the entire heightof the side wall 15 and is provided withA a closure member 55 which ismachined or other- Ywise formed as shown'at 57, to'conform to the curveat the end of the vat (Fig. 7). This closure member 55 is supported formovement into and-out of the outlet 19 by a bayonetttype locking screw59 which -is actuated by a hand wheel 61, the screw 59 and the handwheel 61 being mounted on a support frame 63 which'isattached to theendlwall 15. To minimize the ow of whey around the closure member 55 asuitable gasket 65.is provided to seal anyl openings. Y "I'hetable`13 issupported upon the frame 21,as before` pointed out in a horizontallydisposed position. The

frame 21 includes a pair of vertically spaced apart, rlorigie etudinally extending members 67 on each side of thertable 13. The upperof each of said pair engaging the bottom 31.015 the table 13(Fi`g. Y3).At each end of the V17. vThe sides 15 of the table 13V extend verticallyand are high enough to insure that the batch being treated will fbecontained in theY unit.V The ends of the table 13 are semi-circular inoutline so that the agitator means 23 will sweep the entire area of thetable without leaving anyV corners Vor areas which are not subjected toagitation.

These semi-circular end portions also slope gradually downwardly to thetrough 33 (Fig. 5). The bottom of the table '13 in the illustratedembodiment, over a major Y table 13 there are provided a pair of'support legs 69 Vwhich are welded or otherwise attached to the-innerside .of the members 67 and on each side of the unit` thereof Vmidwaybetween the pairs of` legs 69'there is provided, in the illustratedstructure ,a single support leg 71 which Vis1connected to the outside ofthe members 67.v As illustratedgeach of the legs 69 and 71 are providedwith leveling screws 73 to facilitate the leveling of ther-table 13. .Y[In addition to the support' provided for the table 13 by the engagementbetween the bottom 31,of the table andthe members V67,-there isYprovided, a number of the`l drawings (Figs. 3 and 5) thatV thelongitudinal memj'bers-67' provide attack or-guideway77 which extendsthe length of the drain table structure.

vAsbefore outlined, the carriage V27 cames the Vagi- 'tating means,23and is adaptedrto bereciprocated from onejend of the table 13 to theother whenthe curd-"is vbeing agitated or discharged.'Y The carriage 27includes l aI pair of rectangular-f. side members-79 (PFig. 5 1) leach-lof which are fabricated from' anupperand 'arv lower Y.longitudinalmember 81 which -a're Y inter-connected 1 by a series of verticallyVextending members -83. Oneoffthe w rectangularA side' members f is fdisposed on L each side l of ftheframe-21. lEach sidememberlcarriesjournalled thereon av pair oflongitudinallyspacedapart'v-rollers--SS which are adapted to ride .in theguideway 77.provided 'by `the- `structural f members 67. The side 'membersf -79 areinter-connected .underythe table-13-by`a series vof cross braces 87. as.illustratedin Figs..v 3. and 5.

:The rectangular side-members-79 are Ainter-connected at their upperends bya-.pair of spaced-.apart Atruss-*units 89 -which provide`rigidity to `the .carriage structure.. and

AAwhichprovide. a Asupport -zfonthe agitating means L23.

;.Each-.truss unita89 .includes apair of ,spacedapart triangular.sectionsl9l whichare-connected at their ,sides to .the side lmembers79..and which-.are.inter-connected ad- --jacentthe central portionof-the table-13..by themember .93. Themember 93. andl .the triangularunit' 91.*provide a a rigid platform ..95 for .supporting .the motor.and drive unit.

As will befseen thecarriagel27.` as fabricatedtprovides a box-likestructure which extends around .the vtable 13 and which -is movablelengthwise along. .the table 13 son'ftheV rollers-185. -Side thrustisabsorbed.by.a` .pair

of thrustrollers .97 .which are arranged at V.diagonally .4oppositefcornersof thecarriage 27 andwhich bear against longitudinallyextending j members 67 .of the main -fframe 21.

.Movement of, the carriage .27 ..is .accomplished by means.V4 of the'.poweroperated means.25. In .theilg -lustrated embodiment, the poweroperateclmeansl 25 comv prisesanair actuated .piston.(not shown)'.'whichzp- .erates in a cylinderll as illustrated andeifects move-...ment.of.:the piston..rod 99. ,A suitablesource. of.air,

. schematically 'illustratedl by 103 in Fig. 5 isconnected yto thecylinder .101 bysuitable-conduits'105, Aand .a

series Vof timingaand ljmitzswitches Vand vvwhich is vsche- A-rnaticallyillustrated.at'1()7 ,infFig- 5 is operableto con- '..trolthe supplyof.air setas toautomatically. move vthe VVearriage;f..7 backwards andforwards alongv the length `:of the .draintable :Movement of thecarriage,v or bridge .in thec illustrated embodiment isso arranged thatthe positiqnsof jthe center .lines of the=two truss units 89 do notoverlap softhat the centralsupporting leg 71 maybe provided vtoreinforcethe main'frame27 (see Fig-2).

- The agitating means-23 consists lof a pair of agitators, oneot whichis mountedaon each :of the 'truss units:89 ,andfpositioned so as-to belocatedalong the` centenline vof the idrain table-13 directly above thedraining. means ,117. :Each-ofthe agitators includes a power meansv i109.jandanlagitator element 111. VThe powerY means 11.99 -in the'illustrated embodiment includes an electric motor -.1, 1,3 which islprovidedwith a speed `re ducer.115. .,The `motoren?, andthe speedreducer 115'are supported on rfa,..pair v of cross .pieces 9,3 vwhichare connected ,on3each end to one of `the truss units l89. Extendingdownwardly -'from' each Yofl the speed reducers 115 is a .drive shaftA117. vAn agitator hub 119 is attached to thelowerrend ,-of the driveshaft117 as shown in Fig. 5. The agitator .l'lubv 119 'is agenerallyjcircular block which .isprovided l,lon .itsfuppersurface withfour holes 121 which -are ...spaced at-.equal intervals around the hubA119. VAround fthefperphery of the hub there are provided four bossesfor. .lugs21'23 which-are arranged in radial ialignment'with the.holes121. Each; ofl the -bosses123 isprovided with azgenerally verticallyextending groove or slot'125,the

.slots.and;the'holes.121 cooperating to form-'seatsfforA .apseries-.of.agitator arms 127 .which -constitute a part yof..1the t agitatorelement.

l Eafchoflthe agitator arms Y127 includes asupporting member or shaft129 and an -agitat-ing element-131. 'As

tillustrated infFigs. 1. and-3,1'eachoft the supporting meml'..zbersr129isanachedaeiteinnep ends,to-:thehnbeiraandextendstoutwat'dly:.toiprovideal supportrforiaf plow .133 which. is so Ypositioned that. it .will sweep ithe' bottom 231 outwardly to apoint-.adjacent theyside lwallslS. '-Itfwill be seen that the member129slopes downwardly'y from its ...point of-.attachment tothe hub'119to'its-pointfattachment to the ;plow.133 and,.as'illustrated, -thelmember129 Vinitiallyextends radially outwardly from the '.hub Ifor about ,lhalf Aof its length land then. extendsflforwardly. in .direction ofmotion vof the-plow`133 (indicatedbythe arrows iu Fig. l) at anangleofabout`-30. :'I'he'outer or for- .wardly extending sectionV includes va.series of short/titles or. rods ;135 '.which. .are adapted -to be drawnthrough -the curd so as to break it into discrete particles. Theouter-end of the 'memberz129 .carriesfthe plow l33fwhichis a generallyhorizontally disposedlblade arranged with Sits -long axis. in the.direction-of movement .offthelplow 133.

At .its rearward .end,:the-p1ow Sis attached-bbyameans "of -ahorizontallydisposed pivot tothe outerlendofthe memuber 129. i

-.Each of the members1129 is connected tofthehub11119 .by .means of ianinverted U-shaped section, oneY of the -'1egs of whichfUiitslin'the.hole-1211and the otherrleglof v.scraper assembly, asillustrated -infFig 5, consists of la mounting member .130 which is-attachedltothe bottom Yor` the-agitatorlhub119. Extending downward fromthe mounting member'-130 .is a shaft 132 which is -located .alongtheaxisof theagitatonshaft 117. The end portion .of `the shaft .132is-fashionedintola tongue -134-whicl1 -tsinto a groove 136 in-alower'shaft137togprovidea driving connection while permitting ylimited-upeandvdown movement of-the lower shaft 137. vThe shaft 132 and the-lower shaft1137aare -prevented from jack kning by a sleeve 139whichvtsaround `the tongue V134 and-the Igroove 136. The sleeve L139 is-heldin-place by a Vlocking device 141 which Vmay `consistof a plunger 143Whch A.is designed-to t in ah 0le (not shown) infthe yshaft 132.

At the lower end ofi-the lower shaft -137there is provideda cross pieceor-scraperblade'holder 145. T he blade holder is grooved as shownat -147to receive a scraperblade of synthetic rubber -or other material whichwill not Vimpart an -oif 'flavor in the cheese. A series of bolts149'connectsthescraper blade V151'Yin the groove 147. When --theagitator hub revolves, theI lower shaft 137 turns and rotates-thescraperblade 151 over the slotted plate l5-keeping -the -slots v47 free of curdparticles. Since itis not necessaryex-cept under extremely adversedraining conditions-to clean'the plate 45, the scraper blade -is onlyused -overlim-ited periods in the draining ofthe curd andA the sleeveand tongueandegroove connection makes possible. rapid mounting ordismounting of the scraper blade as needed.

As has been pointed out, in order to provide-@means for removingthedrained curd 'from the draine'table 13 after the -cutting anddraining operation are complete the carriage 27 is provided with a pairof lscraper .means 29 as illustrated particularlyinFigs. 3 and'5. Oneofthe scraper means 29 is associated with and supportedfby each of thetruss units 89. The:l two scraper means '29 are ofidentical=construction--so that only one willi-be described andcorresponding parts will beg-iven `corresponding numbers.

The scraper means'29 lincludesapair-of-scraper -blades V153 whichprovide-a scraper assemblyv which kis as iwide vreinforcing members isconnected'to"its'-associatedpquss vrunit '89 by means "oflaf-pair of'vrods :159.Y IThe rods-`159 vare-rigidly connected'toi-a cross shaft161'which'is journon-operative or raisedrpositio'n by Yinalled inaplurality of suitablefbearings 1637attached to Ythe truss unit 89. `Inorder to counter-balance thefweight of the `scraper blades 153 there areprovided a pair of Ycounter-balanced'weights, each ofwhich is rigidlyattachedby means of an arm 165 to the shaft-161. Control of the positionof each pair of blades is accomplished by a hand wheel 167 whichactuates a positioning screw 169. The screw is supported in a block 171attached to the truss unit 89 and bears against a plate on theV armV165. The action of the positioning screwV is 'esuch'that the -height ofthe blades above the bottom 31 may be tableV by a suitable pump. Waterof the desired tempera- Y ture; maybe 'circulated throughfthe heatexchange jacket V35 to maintain the curd and whey at the proper temper-Vature .during the stirring and draining operation.

The Ycylinder 101 andthe airV control unit 107 'moves the carriage Y27back and forth the 'length of the drain table.

'The motor 113 turns the'agitator assembly V111 to thor- -oughlyagitatethe curd so as to prevent knitting. The whey outlet 53 is maintainedopenY and the whey Ydrains through' the trough v33 through the outlet 53and then-ce to a disposal point.

. rDepending upon conditions, the drain scraper 128 may be attached toclean the surface of the Vplate.45,'a drain ,scraper being attached toeach of the agitator assemblies.

As lthe whey is drained, curd is continually stirred by Y the rotatingagitator assembly and when it is fully drained agitator, elements 127 onthe forward agitator, i. e., the agitator adjacent the curd outlet 19,are removed from the hub 119. The forward scraper blade is then releasedfrom its hook and the end gate or curd outlet 19 is opened. l Thecarriage 27 is then reciprocated and the position of the forward scraper'blade 153 is adjusted so that it moves about a two or three inch layerof curd from the forward Vhalf-of the drain table 13 to the outlet 19.This is con- A tinued until the forward half of the drain table isalmost emptiedof curd, during which time the rearward agitator isrotated to` keep the curd from matting or knitting in the rearward endof the drain table.

Atthis time, the agitator elements on the rearward agitator 23 areremoved and the rearward scrapper blade 153 is removed from itssupporting hook and lowered ,intoV position to scrape the curd from therearward half of the table to the center thereof.

ings (Fig. 2), the rearward scraper blade is located more l Asillustrated in the drawor less centrally of the rearward truss member 89while the forward scraper blade is located on the rearward side of itsassociated truss unit 89. This. `causes the area scraped by thel twoblades to overlap somewhat so that the material brought forwardly by therearward scraper" blade 153 is picked up on the next reciprocation'bythe v forward scraper blade which then carries it to the oulet 19. Y

Of course, asmall amount of manualr labor is required to shovel the curdin the rear semi-circular end of the vat to'aepoint where it can bepicked up by a' scraper blade, and some Amanual work is necessary toassist the scraper bladeY 153 in discharging the curd Vthrough theoutlet 19, however, as compared to the manual work which'was required inthel past, the amount of labor required is negligible.

In operation, it is desirable that the counter-weights 160 l on thescraper blades 153 be'so adjusted that a minimum of pressure is exertedon the curd as the scraper blade 153 Vmoves rearward over the curd onits return cycle. This minimizes premature matting of the curd andpermitsV the curd to be discharged in grannlarform. As will be seen fromthe foregoing description, a structure embodying the various features ofthis invention makes possible the mechanical handling of the curd with aminimumof manual labor. Moreover, theunitof the inveny Vtion ,evenV inlarge sizes is relativelyportable` because .it-is self contained andrequires noy overhead 'structure toirsupport the agitators and, as aresult of this type ofconstruction, a draintable Vunit may bemaderin anysize desired without regardk tothe plantstrueture in which-it is housed.In additiontotheabove, the co-action between ithe agitator bladesV andforks'aud the slottedy drain plate` which Vextends along the central.portion of theV drain table minimizes -curdabrasion and breakage sothat-there isa minimum of cheese dust lost in the whey. Further, thedrain scraper may be used to facilitate` drainage Yof. slowdramingbatches and to prevent clogging of the'slotted plates underadverse draining conditions.

Thecombination of the separate power means for the carriage and for theagitators together with 'the combined agitator and scraper bladerassembly results Vin a unit which employs the same power means toreciprocatethescrapers Aand to idischarge the drained curdfrom the unit.This mechanical discharge means` speeds up the operation. so that `the.curd does not have Vtime to matorknitwhile it 'is' being discharged andthis, too, makes possible the handling forth the Ywalls of a tray whichis adapted to hold the curd fromr which the free whey is to beseparated, a foraminous secrtion in Vthe bottom vof said tray throughwhich whey may be drained, a frame for supporting said tray in agenerally horizontal position, said frame including means definingV aguide below rthe upper edgeof each side of said tray, a carriage whichis supported onfsaid guides for move- Vment along said tray, means forreciprocating said car'- raige along said tray, and agitator means saidcarriage to agitate'curd in'said tray. Y Y

2. Apparatus adaptedV for use in draining free (whey from cheese curdwhile said curd is in the form of dis. certe particles comprising meansdefining the bottom and supported by side walls of an elongated traywhich is adapted t0 hold' the curd from which the free whey is to beseparated, aforaminous section in the bottom of said tray through whichVwhey may be drained, a frame for supporting said tray in a generallyhorizontalposition, said frame including jaV track outside of each sideof said tray, said track being disposed longitudinally of said tray andbelow the upper edge of said side, a movable carriage means forsupporting said carriage for movement on said tracks Valong said tray,means for reciprocating said carriage on said tracks, agitatormeanssupported by said carriage to agitate curd in said tray andpower'means Vfor operating said agitator which Yis separate Yfrom themeans for reciprocating said carriage. v y3. Apparatus adapted for usein draining free whey from cheese curd while said curd is inthe form ofdiscrete particles comprising means defining the bottom andside walls ofAan elongated tray which is adapted yto hold the Vaminous section inthc-,bottom of said tray through which Y whey may be drained, a framefor supporting said tray in-a generally horizontal position, saidframerncluding e a pair of tracks disposed along, and outside of eachside of said tray, said tracks being generally horizontally disposed,vertically spaced apart and arranged longtitudi- V nally of said tray toform a guideway, a carriage, means for supporting said carriage on saidpairs of tracks includ-V ing roller means which is disposed'in saidguideway, means for reciprocatngsaid carriage on said tracks, andagitator means supported by said Vcarriage to agitatecurdin' said tray,and said roller means Yinrsaid guideway 'preventing substantialverticalmovement of said carriage and its associated agitator means.

4.Y apparatus adapted 'fori'. uscin drainingfreewhe'y aaa-14otioraminous section inthe bottom of said'v trayffthrugh :1.5

which whey may be`drained,j a4 frame" for supporting `said .tray in agenerally horizontal position-, said frame includjlinga pairofspacedapart, vertically aligned tracks=along each side ofsaid ftray,saidftracksdtining a guideway and being parallel and generallyhorizontally-disposed and 10 extending longitudinally ofwsaid tray, acarriageY adapted -to'bridge `saidgtray including a pair of longitudinals ec- .tions,roneofwhichis positioned on each'of said guide- 'ways and@bridging section which 'interconnects' said longitudinal sections,support rollers? in'each of said. 15

Yguideways connectedto thev longitudinal section associated therewithtosupport ys aid carriageI for longitui dinal movement Valong saidtray/while'preventing substantial relative verticalmovementfftherebetwee'n, Vand jat leastone .roller ypositioned on saidlongitudinal member-sh 20 --tolbearagainst one Vof saidtracksto'fprevent substantial sidewise movement of said carriagerelativeto said-tray, means for reciprocating saidcarriagealong saidguideways, and agitator-means in said` bridging section adapted i toagitate curdinsaid tray.

.75. Apparatus adapted for use in. draining 4vfree whey `vfrom cheesecurd while said curdis in the form of discrete particles comprisingmeans defining thebottomand vside 4Wallsof a tray which is adapted/tohold-the; curd ,frQmwhicli .the free whey is to be, separated, afortirninousli 30 section in lthe bottom of said trayithr'ough whichlwhey may be drained, a movable carriage, means for supporting saidcarriage to bridge said tray, means for reciprocating said carriagealong said tray, agitator means supported on said carriage, a scraperblade which extends across said tray, means for hingedly connecting saidscraper blade to said carriage whereby said scraper blade is adapted toswing into position to scrape the bottom of said tray so as to push thecurd in one direction with the reciprocation of said carriage.

6. Apparatus adapted for use in draining free whey from cheese curdwhile said curd is in the form of discrete particles comprising meansdeiining the bottom and side walls of an elongated tray which is adaptedto hold the curd from which the free whey is to be separated 3 a curdoutlet in said side wall at one end of said tray, a

foraminous section in the bottom of said tray through which whey may bedrained, means detining a guide disposed along each of the sides of saidelongated tray, a movable carriage, means including said guides forsupporting said carriage for reciprocating movement along said tray,means for reciprocating said carriage, a scraper blade extending acrosssaid tray, means for hingedly connecting said scraper blade to saidcarriage, said hinged means including means which limits swingingmovement of said blade relative to said carriage when said carriage ismoving towards said outlet and thereby causes curd to be engaged by saidblade so as to move it to said outlet and which permits swingingmovement of said blade relative to said carriage as said carriage movesaway from said outlet and thereby permits said blade to ride over thecurd on said tray.

7. Apparatus adapted for use in draining free whey from cheese curdwhile said curd is in the form of discrete particles comprising meansdefining the bottom and side walls of an elongated tray which is adaptedto hold the curd from which the free whey is to be separated, a curdoutlet in said side wall at one end of said tray, a foraminous sectionin the bottom of said tray through which whey may be drained, meansdening a guide disposed adjacent each of the sides of said elongatedtray, a movable carriage, means including said guides for supportingsaid carriage for reciprocating movement along said tray, means forreciprocating said carriage, a pair of scraper blades which extendacross said tray, means for hingedly connecting each of said scraperblades to said Ycarriage, eachof saidff hinged means A`including. ineenswhichlimitsiswingingfmovement "of said associated-blade relativeto--said"cariagelwhen said carriage fis' moving towards said outletandtherebycausescurdto beengagd kvby said'fbladetso as to moveAitftofsaid outletfandiwhich permits-swingingfmovement of said bladerelative to said carriage as said carriagemoves awayffrom saidfou'tletand thereby permitsv saidj'blade to ride" over-the curd-on said Vtray,Veachfof *saidscraper blades being `positioned on said carriage so asto's'cr-ape an-over-lappingcentersec- 'tionof` the bottom of'saidtraysuchy overlapping arrange- .ment causing-the scrapen-bladecmostremoteironiesaid outletto carry said curd toY said over-lappingcentersec- "tion-1 whereupon fthe' other scraper! blad'caries said curd Afromsaidlverlapping center-section to said outlet.

v 8. Apparatus 'adaptedf'tor user-in draining l.free-whey from cheesecurd L while said curd is in' the^-form1of discrete particles Ycomprising Ymeans I defining the? bottom and side-wallsf an elongatedVtray whicliis adapted'to hold the curd from which -the free whey istobeseparated,

Ya.- curd outlet in said side wallrat one endIof saidtray, ra

foraminous section in the-*bottom of-fsaidwtrayfthrough `whi'ch1.wheyrnay -be-drained, means -delining a guidedisposed .alongandoutside of eac'hfoff the sides fofsaid elongated-tray,1a-movableVcarriage, means including said guides I -for .-supporting vhsaid Ycarriage for reciprc'icating kmovementzalongisaid tray, means forreciprocating said carriage, a-A scraperU bladej which is proportionedtoextend across-v said atray, means for hingedly connecting `said.scraper blade to said-carriage, :saidliinged'meansfinclud- '.ingmeansjwhich limits swingingmovement of said'blade relativeftdsaidcarriage' when said carriage .is moving=to wards said outlet and therebycauses curd to be engaged by said blade so as to move it to said outletand which permits swinging movement of said blade realtive to saidcarriage as said carriage moves away from said outlet and therebypermits said blade to ride over the curd on said tray, said means forlimiting swinging movement of said blade including a stop for said bladeon said carriage the position of said stop being adjustable to vary 0the depth of curd moved by said blade.

9. Apparatus adapted for use in draining free whey from cheese curdwhile said curd is in the form of discrete particles comprising meansdefining the bottom and side walls of an elongated tray which is adaptedto hold the curd from which the free whey is to be separated, a curdoutlet in said side wall at one end of said tray, a formanious sectionin the bottom of said tray through which whey may be drained, meansdefining a guide disposed outside of and below the upper edges of eachof the sides of said elongated tray, a movable carriage, means includingsaid guides for supporting said carriage for reciprocating movementalong said tray, means for reciprocating said carriage, a scraper bladewhich is proportioned to extend across said tray, means for hingedlyconnecting said scraper blade to said carriage, said hinged meansincluding means which limits swinging movement of said blade relative tosaid carriage when said carriage is moving towards said outlet andthereby causes curd to be engaged by said blade so as to move it to saidoutlet and which permits swinging movement of said blade relative tosaid carriage as said carriage moves away from said outlet and therebypermits said blade to ride over the curd on said tray, said means forlimiting swinging movement of said blade including a stop for said bladeon said carriage the position of said stop being adjustable to vary thedepth of curd moved by said blade, and counter balance means for saidscraper blade to reduce the pressure exerted by said blade in the curdas said carriage moves away from said outlet.

10. Apparatus adapted for use in draining free whey from cheese curdwhile said curd is in the form of discrete particles comprising meansdetining the bottom and side walls of a tray which is adapted to holdthe curd from which the free whey is to be separated, a foraminoussection in the bottom of said tray through which VYWhey may f bedrained,

f fll Y a y movable carriage, means'V for supporting said carriage inbridging relation to said tray, means for reciprocating said carriagealong said tray, and

agitator means supported on said carriage to agitate curd in said tray,said agitator means including a rstagitator Vwhich sweeps theventirebottom area of said traywand a second agitator elementpwhichisradapteduto engage and sweep said foraminous section of said tray. Y11. Apparatus Yadapted for use in from `cheeseY curd while saidk curd isin theY form4 of dis-V crete particles comprising means dening thebottom and side walls of lan elongated tray, the ends of said tray beingsemi-circular in outline,` an elongated Yforarninous section in thebottom of said tray disposed along 4the center-line thereof,V theremainder of said bottombeing imperforate, ja reciprocating agitatormeans `supported for Yreciprocating movement longitudinally along thecenterline of,said tray, said agitator including agitator arms which arerotatably supported and proportioned t0 sweep lthe entire bottom areaof` said tray and aY scraping member which isrsupported for rotationandwhich is propori tioned to engage said foraminous section.,

Y 172 Apparatus adapted forfuse; inY draining free whey ing movementlongitudinally along the center-line of said" v tray, said agitatorincluding agitator arms which are rodraining free Whe-Y n tatablysupported and lproportioned to sweep the .entire `bottom areaof saidtray and a scraping merrrberY which is .from cheese curd'while said curdis in the form of dissupported for rotation and which isfproportioned toengage said foraminoussection, said 4scrapingmember in- V cludingaresilient-Yelongated member which isinrrubbing j contact with saidforaminous member. Y Y

13; Apparatus adapted foruseYin draining-,Y'free AwhleyY :fromy cheesecurd while said curdris in the Vform of discretelparticlescomprisinggmeans defining they bottom Yand sidewalls of an elongatedtray, the ends fofV said tray being semi-circular in outline,tanelongated foraminous section in the bottomrot said tray disposed alongVthe center-line thereof, the remainder of said .bottom beingimperforate, :and a reciprocating agitator means supported forreciproeatingA movement longitudinallyalong Vthe centerfline of Y Y saidktray and proportioned' to lsweep the entire bottom area of said tray,vsaid foraminous section comprising plates *Y having elongated slotstherein, said slots being arranged ltransversely of the longitudinalaxis of said tray 'whereby the movement of said agitator arms inV theVregion of said foraminous section is in a directionsubstantiallyvparallel to said slots. Y e

References Cited in the le of this'patent UNITED STATES PATENTS. Y

841,997 `Miller ;.......L 'Jam 22, 1907 V1,611,854 Damrow Dec. 21, 19,26

' 1,904,796V 'Y McCaddamv V..V Apr. 18, 1933 2,086,353 Damrow July 6,1937Y 2,488,053 Damrow Nov. 15, 1949 Detjen -..7 1., iNov." 11, 19,52

